Lexington, KY - Artists may shun the business suit and board room, and CEOs may find themselves feeling awkward in loose clothing and a loft studio. But business and the arts can and do work quite well together, sharing innovation and resources to mutual benefit.
This October, Americans for the Arts (AFTA) will launch The pARTnership Movement specifically to encourage more cooperation between business and the arts.
Strategies to Engage Businesses in the Arts
In a recent Webinar titled and led by Emily Peck from Americans for the Arts, panelists Richard Graber, Houston Arts Alliance; Kelly Seward, ArtsKC; and Peter Kuntz, Arts & Business Council of Chicago, discussed programs that now offer a few "best practices" for this new movement to consider.
The pARTnership Movement will provide more information on these case studies and a tool kit for developing successful partnerships.
Here are a few highlights from the Webinar:
Houston Arts Alliance
Richard Graber -
A recent partnership between Continental Airlines and Stages Repertory Theater in Houston has proven highly successful. In the face of an ever-changing workplace, the human resource department at Continental Airilines needed a more creative program for in flight training - tools for employees to become effective communicators. They turned to a local theater company and found improvisation to be the answer.
For Graber the unanticipated outcomes of this partnership include: the procurement of a board member from Continental Airlines for Stages, who now acts as an ambassador for the arts organization; attendance at Stages' productions increased significantly, and the fee for these training classes is now a new revenue source for Stages.
ArtsKC
Kelly Seward, Director of Business Programs at